Hunter: I became stronger even after I died.

Chapter 428 The Death of the Ant King (Bonus Chapter for 1 Monthly Tickets)
Once the Ant King's tactical strategy was finalized, his offensive became increasingly fierce.

He needs to thoroughly understand every trace of Kuroko Mai's longing for the string amidst the fierce attacks and defenses.

This is by no means an easy task.

But the King Ant firmly believed he could do it.

It's only a matter of time.

"When all your 'chess moves' have been revealed, that is the time to 'checkmate'."

Faced with repeated setbacks, the King Ant began to consciously integrate "battle" and "military discipline."

If this match had taken place before the game against wheat.

Then the King Ant would just be like a brute with no strength, using monotonous rapid attacks to try to disrupt Morrow's breathing until Morrow could no longer hold on.

This is how wild animals hunt.

But this duel took place after the King Ant and Wheat had played a game of chess.

The current Ant King is consciously searching for flaws in Morrow's breathing, until he can find the ultimate way to win.

As for the difference between the two...

Essentially, they are just beasts and humans.

The former only cares about eating after the hunt.

The latter, however, enjoys the growth, gains, and satisfaction that come with the hunting process even more.

"Let me see how many escape routes you have..."

The sense of satisfaction that arose during this process gradually boosted the ant king's spirit and strength.

His every explosive attack and the angle of his entry, every coordinated movement between his limbs and his tail, were improved through repeated high-intensity offense and defense.

No matter how high the Ant King's mental power surged, Moro, in his starlight-condensed state, remained as still as Mount Tai.

Avoid attacks and launch counterattacks.

In the face of the Ant King's relentless offensive, Morrow perfectly laid the groundwork for victory at every turn.

This is all because Mai Kuroko wanted to share the burden of processing information with him.

This allows for greater focus on calculating the benefits of each counterattack.

Forehead, chest, abdomen, right hand, left leg, right leg...

The goal is to disrupt the order of hits without the ant king noticing, while ensuring that the number of hits remains consistent as it accumulates.

This is by no means an easy task.

But "Starlight Convergence, Black Spot Dance" brings possibilities.

"can do it."

Moro was confident he could do it.

It's just a matter of time.

Unless the king ant can realize its own shortcomings in the process.

As for tactics that break the deadlock by understanding the trajectory of the strings, they are meaningless.

Because of the combination of starlight condensation and black spot dance, it can always be one step ahead of the Ant King.

In the ensuing battles, Moro and the Ant King transformed into streaks of light, engaging in countless clashes using Nen.

Both were rapidly advancing on what they perceived as the path to victory, and were convinced of it without a doubt.

Hundreds of times, thousands of times...

There were no intense sparks flying, only exchanges of blows at breakneck speed.

During this process, the Ant King recorded every detail of Nen-gen's manipulation.

Meanwhile, Morrow successfully accumulated 50 effective hits in six other locations on the King Ant during this process.

Both sides have achieved remarkable results.

The turning point of this fierce battle also occurred at this moment.

By observing the trajectories of the strings of thought, the Ant King anticipated Morrow's next move.

A flaw was thus created.

The ant king attacked this weakness with the fastest speed and the fiercest power.

however……

Starlight Condensation: Black Piece Dance is an ability that automatically adjusts itself based on the opponent's attack trajectory.

Therefore, while the Ant King seized the opportunity to exploit the weakness, Moro's Black Shot Dance was also adjusting in real time.

As a result, the attack that the Ant King thought would be a "checkmate" was still dodged by Moro.

This result made the Ant King realize in an instant that the path to victory he had chosen was actually a dead end from the very beginning.

The attack failed again.

The Ant King did not launch another attack, but instead let his body fall to the ground, his brows slightly furrowed.

It's just a wasted effort to find a dead end; it's nothing.

What truly concerned the Ant King was the outcome just now, which made him realize that Morrow hadn't exerted his full strength in the previous offensive and defensive battles; in fact, he seemed to be handling things with ease.

"Are you trying to decide the outcome through a 'war of attrition'...?"

Since it has been determined that Moro's energy-emission attacks were insufficient to determine the outcome, the Chimera Ant King speculated that Moro wanted to deplete his potential energy after losing "this round."

That's why he didn't feel any tension from Moro.

It was as if they already knew he was doing something futile, so they didn't take any countermeasures and just calmly waited for this moment to arrive.

This operation of extending the combat curve did indeed consume a significant amount of his energy.

"So, what is the purpose of this 'flame'?"

The Ant King glanced discreetly at the rootless fire on his left arm.

He believed that a protracted war was indeed the only way for Moro to defeat him, which is why Moro never showed a strong enough counterattack.

All of this is in order to maintain the status quo while keeping consumption low.

The only question the Ant King had at that moment was what role this cluster of flames played in Morrow's tactical strategy.

But his focus remained on breaking through Moro's defense.

"The reason I cannot defeat the general is that my offensive methods are too simple and easy to understand."

The failure of the first offensive forced the Ant King to finally confront his own problems and see the end of this battle.

A lion that only ever bares its fangs and claws can never compare to a hunter who knows when to unleash its claws at the crucial moment.

The current Ant King is at this point of divergence.

When pure violence fails to produce the desired results, it means that the path is wrong.

But the most fundamental problem is that the speed is not fast enough.

The ant king's line of thought thus changed.

How can we break the status quo?
What kind of gap exists between us and our competitors?

The answer is ability.

The Ant King slowly turned around, and as he looked up, his cold gaze pierced through the floating stars in the air.

This was the first time in his life that he considered how to tap into the abilities that existed within life energy.

Because he knew very well that with his current strength, he absolutely could not destroy Moro's evasive reaction ability.

Only by valuing the abilities possessed by Neferpitou, Shayapouf, and the human before us can we secure true victory before our opponent is completely exhausted.

The ant king's definition of victory created an especially strong need within him at this moment.

And this request was eventually answered by Nian.

He needs to move faster.

Then the image of Moro designing to knock him down here flashed through his mind again.

It was clear that it had taken the force of his tail needle and was sent flying backwards at high speed, yet it was able to transfer to his head in the next instant.

This is clearly a kind of spatial transfer capability that Neferbitt and Koyapov have previously mentioned.

If he could also master this ability, then launching a successful attack would become much easier.

The ant king's thoughts suddenly settled.

He was enveloped in a surging aura, yet his figure vanished into thin air, leaving only a fleeting white shockwave in his wake.

next moment,
The King Ant appeared beside Morrow.

Instead of focusing on direct, forceful attacks, they began to try to strike from blind spots.

His right hand came together and thrust towards Moro's neck with unstoppable force.

If it were any other ability user, they would probably have been caught off guard and taken advantage of by the Ant King.

However, Moro has a warning about "Starlight Convergence," so he can easily obtain information from attacks coming from blind spots under the influence of his Nen ability.

Moro promptly raised his hand and placed it across his neck.

The Ant King's palm strike slammed heavily into the back of Moro's right hand, producing a sharp, metallic clang.

The immense impact followed immediately. Instead of taking it head-on, Morrow used the momentum to launch his body backward like a cannonball, instantly traversing half of the shelter before crashing into the wall.

Bang!
Rocks shattered and dust filled the air.

Moro's body was embedded in the wall.

Taking advantage of the situation, the Ant King pursued, its body tearing through the dust as it sped over, a look of near excitement appearing on its face for the first time.

That near-instantaneous high-speed attack just now was not a true spatial movement.

That was when he took a giant leap forward on his path of ability by using teleportation as his ultimate goal, and naturally mastered the technique of using life energy to propel his body with explosive power.

This method of using what can be described as an Emission-type ability or a technique allowed the Chimera Ant King to achieve his desired faster attack speed.

This result was completely unexpected by Moro.

After all, in the original story, the Chimera Ant King had witnessed the Nen abilities of his direct guards many times after hatching from his egg, but he never seemed to take them seriously.

Even after being defeated by the Hundred-Style Kannon to the point where he couldn't even get close, the Chimera Ant King never considered using his talent to develop a Nen ability that could break the deadlock.

He relied on his physical strength and mental power from beginning to end to defeat Netero.

However, even this ant king developed a need for "powers" during this battle.

Moro didn't have the extra time to delve into the reasons.

Because the king ant's pursuit was already upon them.

"Star Leap" x "Blitzkrieg"

Morona's figure, embedded in the wall, vanished into thin air.

The Ant King, tearing through the dust, had only a cross-shaped starlight reflected in its eyes as it emerged from the wall pit. Its right palm, imbued with powerful psychic energy, pierced through empty air.

at the same time.

Moro appeared from behind the Ant King and delivered a powerful kick to his lower back.

The psychic power erupted from the soles of his feet, and the Ant King was slammed into the wall by this force, creating an even larger crater.

Almost simultaneously, bullets of psychic energy shot out from the cross-shaped beam, striking the Ant King's forehead with precision, like beams of light.

After succeeding, Moro quickly adjusted his posture, turned his waist, and stomped heavily on the back of the Ant King, who was stuck in the wall pit.

He then suddenly bent his knees and exerted force, using the momentum to leap backward and instantly widen the distance between himself and the Ant King. Although he had once again completed a near-perfect counterattack, Moro was no longer as relaxed as before.

He realized that the King Ant had not only noticed his own problems, but also made immediate adjustments with astonishing efficiency.

The explosive power he just unleashed, utilizing the characteristics of the Emission type, was probably something the Chimera Ant King learned on the spot after observing his manipulation of this aspect.

This means that, in terms of threat level, the current Ant King has far surpassed Neferpitou.

This also means that Morrow must accumulate the number of hits needed to ignite the spark at a faster pace, and the margin for error of "never being hit" has been reduced to an even lower level.

However, the King Ant's adjustments and changes did not put pressure on Morrow.

If the King Ant continues to be inflexible and only tries to end the battle by relying on "numerical strength," then Moro will find the duel boring and might as well go find Neferpitou instead.

"Flying Star"

As he flew backward, Moro quickly ended his thoughts and instead fired several projectiles at the Ant King trapped in the wall.

Bang bang bang...!
Numerous projectiles rained down on the ant king's back and limbs, silently accumulating the number of hits.

However, attacking from this angle mainly only accumulates hits on the limbs.

The reason for deliberately dispersing some of the flying stars to the back was more to conceal the true intention.

After completing a series of counterattacks, Moro landed steadily on the ground, mentally calculating the number of hits accumulated on every part of the Ant King's body.

"Although the Chimera Ant King is an Emission type, the Chimera Ants' talent is truly unreasonable to be able to learn Emission type abilities so easily and instantly."

Moro meticulously compressed the area where the starlight condensed, calmly looking at the ant king within the wall pit, and muttered to himself, "I need to be even more careful from now on, and I can't afford to make any mistakes."

The thought flashed through my mind.

Just then, a burst of fine sand and gravel suddenly shot out from inside the pit.

The Ant King once again used the burst of Emission-type power, his body almost merging into the air, and in an instant, he reached out with a fierce aura towards Moro's chest.

Morrow was prepared when the sand and gravel splattered from the wall pit, and he leaped backward into the air.

The Ant King's body, swooping forward like a cheetah, passed beneath Morrow.

However, the ant king suddenly swung its thick tail and plunged it heavily into the floor, forcibly counteracting the force of inertia and bringing its body to an instantaneous stop.

Such a brutal operation could only be performed by a creature with strong bones and muscles like the chimera ant.

As the King Ant came to a stop, he turned around and raised his palm, aiming it at Morrow from a distance.

A powerful, concentrated burst of energy rapidly condensed into a sphere in his palm, which was then propelled outwards by a surge of power.

call out!
The telekinetic projectile shot towards Moro, who was in mid-air.

Morro wasn't surprised at all that the Chimera Ant King had even learned "Nen Bullet Release".

He could even imitate and learn explosive techniques of the emission type on the spot, let alone the simpler technique of releasing one's own Nen energy by separating and releasing it.

Moro remained calm, and under the guidance of Kuroko Mai's mental strings, his body suddenly rose higher, barely dodging the mental bullets shot by the Ant King.

However, the Ant King followed closely behind with the Nen Bullet, its body thrusting straight at him like a sharp blade.

Moro raised his right arm again, while simultaneously gripping his right elbow with his left hand, assuming a defensive stance.

The Ant King's fierce attack still couldn't outpace the effect of Starlight Condensation: Black Dance, and was once again steadily blocked by the back of Moro's hand.

A sharp, metallic clang suddenly echoed through the emergency shelter.

With the indestructible rings on the back of his hand, Morrow blocked the blow, but could not completely negate the immense impact.

But just before he was blasted away, as he used his left hand to steady himself, a cross-shaped star suddenly lit up on the surface of his elbow, which was facing the Ant King.

So, the instant Moro's body flew backward, the shooting star that shot out from the cross-shaped beam of light also accurately hit the Ant King's chest.

It was accompanied by a loud bang.

The two figures flew backwards, but almost simultaneously adjusted their posture in mid-air, stepping onto the walls on either side of the shelter.

The instant Moro's feet touched the wall, his Nen flowed and distributed in an instant, strengthening the wall with exquisite control.

This left the wall intact despite the impact, and Morrow used the momentum to maintain his footing.

In contrast, the King Ant did not perform such delicate maneuvers; the wall where he landed collapsed with a crash, sending debris flying everywhere.

But his long tail, like a spear, suddenly plunged into the wall, suspending his body steadily in mid-air.

Moro and the Ant King steadied themselves almost simultaneously. The instant their eyes met across the air, they shattered the wall behind them with a powerful kick. Their figures blurred as they shot towards each other through the air like two bolts of lightning.

Instantly, the two forces collided violently in the center of the shelter, creating visible shockwaves that sliced ​​through the ground like invisible blades, leaving countless cracks.

But this is merely a clash of auras.

Moro still did not choose to confront the Ant King head-on. Relying on the suspension properties of Kuroko Masashi, he suddenly rose into the air and swept over the Ant King.

But in the instant when the two forces clashed and their auras collided, Morrow still gained the upper hand. After flying over the Ant King, he delivered two sharp energy palm strikes, which accurately hit the Ant King's legs.

Two dull thuds.

The energy palm struck the Ant King's legs, and the impact caused him to lose his balance, crashing heavily to the ground. He then bounced violently several times before his back slammed against the wall in front of him.

Boom!

Amidst a deafening roar, the ant king, like a heavy iron ball, was forcefully embedded deep into the wall.

Even though he used his amazing talent to improve his offensive power by imitating Moro's Nen ability, it was ultimately just a last-minute effort and he could not match Moro in terms of "precision".

However, after these fierce battles...

Moro could clearly sense that the Ant King's abilities and skills were evolving at an alarming rate.

If the king ant had been given more time...

Moro had no doubt that the Ant King could even grasp the ability of teleportation during the battle, and that he would later master the technique of releasing Nen bullets.

"The number of successful attempts to ignite the spark has accumulated to over sixty..."

Moro couldn't accurately estimate how many effective hits would be needed to ignite the sparks on the Ant King's body.

However, the King Ant's continuous evolution undoubtedly exacerbates the time-related problems he faces.

So--

Now is the time to make a decision.

Should we go all in now, or continue to play it safe?

"This may be the most important decision of my life."

Moro looked at the ant king embedded in the wall, then suddenly raised his arm and made his choice.

Stud!

The energy around him swirled and converged in his palm, instantly condensing into a radiant, shimmering star.

call out!
The flying star shot out of his hand, suddenly splitting in mid-air and surging towards the ant king in the wall like a swarm of bees.

Moro is gambling.

Once the Ant King determines that the flying star cannot cause any real damage, he will disregard any defense and focus solely on offense.

If so, this swarm of shooting stars can instantly add considerable effective hits to the ant queen, thus fulfilling the final condition.

But if the King Ant makes even one attempt to block, preventing sparks from igniting in critical areas like his forehead or chest...

As sparks gradually ignite in other parts of the body, the king ant will surely become wary.

By then, it will be as difficult as climbing to heaven to ignite a spark.

Rumble…

The meteor shower penetrated the wall, triggering a series of explosions.

In an instant, a large amount of gravel, along with smoke and dust, sprayed outwards from the wall.

Moro's gaze settled on the billowing smoke and dust, awaiting the results.

Soon, the smoke and dust were stirred up by the airflow.

A cluster of eerie blue flames emerged from the smoke and dust, followed by a second, a third, a fourth...

As flames appeared out of thin air one after another, the Ant King broke through the smoke and dust, once again attacking Moro with astonishing force.

"Blitzkrieg"

Without hesitation, Morrow teleported backward a hundred meters.

Once his figure was revealed, the Ant King seemed to be able to guess his teleportation trajectory, and with undiminished momentum, it traversed a hundred-meter distance and once again pressed in front of him.

This time, however, Moro neither dodged nor avoided the attack.

He looked up at the Ant King's palm, which carried deadly power, and a smile appeared on his lips.

He saw the seventh cluster of sparks.

Time is infinitely stretched at this moment.

The Ant King hadn't expected Morrow's rhythm to stop at this moment, and he could almost feel the illusory sensation of his fingertips about to pierce Morrow's forehead.

But for some reason, he always felt that a long time had passed, yet his fingertips were still unable to cross that last line.

It's like being pressed against an invisible glass wall.

"what happened……?"

A sudden doubt arose in his mind.

The fact is,

The fingertip that should have easily pierced Moro's forehead could no longer advance an inch.

The confusion in the Ant King's eyes was quickly swallowed up by the eerie blue flames.

Immediately afterwards, a strong burning sensation spread from every inch of my skin.

"flame?"

As the Ant King was taken aback, he saw that Moro's eyes seemed to hold some kind of unfathomable darkness.

Before he could react, his field of vision suddenly rose higher.

His soul left his body and hovered above his physical form.

The eerie blue flames burning on his body spread rapidly, like a swarm of sharks smelling blood, instantly engulfing every part of his soul.

An even more intense burning sensation instantly pierced through his consciousness.

However, even this soul-scorching pain only caused the Ant King to frown slightly.

"This is...your true intention?"

In his spirit form, the Ant King looked down at Moro, seemingly still struggling to accept the fact that he had been defeated.

He had clearly mastered the true way to use his power, and even felt that he was only a little bit away from breaking through Moro's evasion space.

Give him one more minute... no, even ten seconds would be enough.

But how did I suddenly get "checkmated"...?

Moro could not hear the voice of the Ant King's soul.

Even if they hear it, they won't respond.

He simply watched calmly as the Ant King's soul gradually burned in the flames.

victory……

It was not easy to obtain.

It's simply that at the most critical moment, he dared to take a risk and gamble everything.

So he won.

(End of this chapter)